Anyone know much about them? Pros, cons, etc?
Hello! I’m probably not the expert your looking for but I can probably give you a little info. I don’t personally own one but one of the ladies I ride for had two and sold one with a horse of hers to a mutual friend. That being said she continually raved and raved about how wonderful her saddle was. I’ve ridden in in a handful of times myself and think that they are well put together, nice stitching, very nice leather etc. The saddle I rode in was too big for me but I was still comfortable. actually all four other people that I know that have ridden in them have all said it was a comfortable saddle. The saddles seem to be highly adjustable. They allow you to adjust stirrups into three different positions (forward-back) to suit your riding style. and I’m not 100% on this as it’s been awhile but they may also have adjustable rigging. The lady who owns one of the saddles would consider herself heavier and her arab is pretty stout/stocky and the horse has never had a sore back. Also, the shape of the cantle allows it to be used easily as something to hold onto… something both owners have commented on.
The only cons that I know about them are they’re pricy, they don’t “hold you in” as much as some other western style saddles, and I read that their built on a flexible tree, which I have had issues with in different/ cheeper brands and is something I prefer not to have (just my preference!) But like I said neither horse with two totally different builds has ever been sore to my knowledge.
Hope that helps!
I’m bumpin’ this up; I have to admit, a 17-pound trail saddle with a tree is kind of a holy grail for me. And not bad-lookin’, either. Anybody got anything new to add?
[QUOTE=The Crone of Cottonmouth County;7923324]
I’m bumpin’ this up; I have to admit, a 17-pound trail saddle with a tree is kind of a holy grail for me. And not bad-lookin’, either. Anybody got anything new to add?
http://www.srsaddleco.com/Pages/endurancesaddles.aspx[/QUOTE]
I looked real hard at those saddles when I was trying to find a saddle to fit my Arabian with Princess and the Pea syndrome. They’re quite nice.
This is what I ended up buying. 12 lbs and has a tree. I love it, but YMMV.
http://www.protectorpad.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Store_Code=protectorpad&Screen=PROD&Product_Code=PATIV
I love the light weight on that thing, and I can’t believe it’s under $1000, although possibly a bit on the crocodile-y side for my taste. But oh my gosh, that dude’s website is a trip. Between his unique use of capitalization and jumble of fonts, it’s practically unintelligible. How did you get fitted?
I have found a saddle that I love- the stonewall saddles are great. Have a tree and weigh about 12 lbs, very comfy .
[QUOTE=The Crone of Cottonmouth County;7924158]
I love the light weight on that thing, and I can’t believe it’s under $1000, although possibly a bit on the crocodile-y side for my taste. But oh my gosh, that dude’s website is a trip. Between his unique use of capitalization and jumble of fonts, it’s practically unintelligible. How did you get fitted?[/QUOTE]
Hi! I agree, the format of Mr. Len’s website is a bit idiosyncratic, to say the least. Mr. Len likes the format just fine the way it is. But the information’s quite good if you can get your eyes used to the unique formatting.
The key is to block out or ignore the pictures when reading the text, then go back and look at the pictures while ignoring the text you’ve just read.
After you’ve gotten your eyes acclimated to the unique formatting, on the sales page, the price listed is 50% of the total price. It’s the build price, with the rest due after the saddle is finished.
I ordered my saddle in early March. It arrived in early September, like he told me to expect when I ordered the saddle. I paid approx. $2,300 for my semi-custom saddle: this included taxes; overnight shipping; the Corrector pad; the extra shims to go with the pad; his Near-Tight girth; and his Cam Stirrups.
Mr. Len is an old-school craftsman. He will not ship your saddle until every. single. detail. of your saddle is absolutley freakin’ perfect according to his standards, starting with the tree. The underside of the saddle looks just as nice as the outside of the saddle.
This is the first new saddle that I’ve ever had. I had lots of very detailed questions. Mr. Len rapidly and in great detail answered every single one of my eleventy-thousand questions and emails. He was as nice as could be. He never once pressured me in to buying a more expensive saddle and never tried to upsell me or get me to purchase any add-ons.
I did the saddle fitting by emailing him wither tracings, photos, and videos of my gelding.
My hyper-sensitive, reactive Nutty Arab is quite content with this saddle. Believe me, Lord High Nuttyness would let me know immediately if the saddle did not fit exactly right.
Mr. Len is super nice on the phone, but seems to prefer emails and he responds to them rapidly.
Mr. Len’s writing “voice” in emails actually reminds me quite a bit of you, Crone. He’s tactful, but he definitely tells it like it is. And he does not suffer fools gladly.
He’s a Vietnam-era Navy vet (aircraft mechanic) and it shows. I quite like him; he would have made a hell of an Army CSM (Command Sergeant Major).
Due to my experiences with my sociopathic mexican-american LAPD patrol officer father, I am very sensitive to mansplaining and other patriarchial tactics, no matter how subtle. I didn’t get that impression from Mr. Len at all. And it takes a lot for me to feel safe around an older adult male.
Sorry about the long screed I’ve written. FWIW, this is me trying to write concisely. My military training taught me to always include as many details as humanly possible when writing reports, and I’ve yet to be able to break the habit as a civilian. embarassed face
Best Regards,
Amber
Wow, thanks for the information, I really appreciate it. As I do your refreshing use of paragraph breaks. I wish more COTHers would spill their guts in a like fashion. So, the final price tag you quote makes more sense; I was having trouble believing you could get a decent, custom, all-leather saddle for the scant 900 bucks listed on the site. What an odd way of pricing.
I may just shoot him an email.
BTW, what are your views on his proprietary accessories?
[QUOTE=ehwaz;7924343]
I have found a saddle that I love- the stonewall saddles are great. Have a tree and weigh about 12 lbs, very comfy .[/QUOTE]
Which model did you end up with? I was kind of looking at those, too. How was your fitting experience?
http://www.stonewallsaddles.com/
But what I really want to know is, where did the chick in the photo get those bangin’ britches?
[QUOTE=The Crone of Cottonmouth County;7925203]
Wow, thanks for the information, I really appreciate it. As I do your refreshing use of paragraph breaks. I wish more COTHers would spill their guts in a like fashion. So, the final price tag you quote makes more sense; I was having trouble believing you could get a decent, custom, all-leather saddle for the scant 900 bucks listed on the site. What an odd way of pricing.
I may just shoot him an email.
BTW, what are your views on his proprietary accessories?[/QUOTE]
Crone,
Thank you for your kind words!
Mr. Len’s email writing style is entirely conventional, nothing at all like his website. I think he just plain likes the way his website looks.
Regarding his proprietary accessories:
-
Corrector or Protector pad and shims:
Totally worth the price. Has a cult status amongst endurance folks. My understanding is that the pad and shims come included with every saddle. -
Cam Stirrups:
They are beautifully made. Mr. Len never once suggested that I purchase the stirrups with the saddle. He just told me to buy regular 2.5-inch endurance stirrups. I splurged and ordered the stirrups and girth with my saddle. The cam stirrups are lovely, but would not have gone out of my way to order them on their own. I believe the Cam Stirrups are designed to meet a need specific to ropers. -
The Near-Tight girth:
Again, Mr. Len never suggested that I purchase the girth; it was a splurge for me. It is beautifully made and looks like it will easily be serviceable for the rest of my life. Again, a mohair or alpaca endurance girth would work just as well. Nutty Arab and my comadre’s girthy Quarab both liked the girth.
The 2.5-inch wide stirrup leathers/fenders that came with my saddle are made with very pliable leather, so did not need to be “twisted” (wet leather and a broomstick). The Blevins buckles slid smoothly from the start.
Because it’s Mr. Len, every item came with its own detailed printed instructions. It’s clear that he tries very hard to idiot-proof his products. Of course, I still had questions because I am the “better idiot.” And because ADHD. And because I am the kind of person who endlessly asks “why?”
I hope this helps?
v/r,
Amber
[QUOTE=The Crone of Cottonmouth County;7925207]
Which model did you end up with? I was kind of looking at those, too. How was your fitting experience?
http://www.stonewallsaddles.com/
But what I really want to know is, where did the chick in the photo get those bangin’ britches?[/QUOTE]
I ended up with a used classic. I really like her fitting system - she sends you a bunch of cards, which you compare to your horses back in different places. It’s a bit hard to describe without pictures, but it works great and I think she has a few videos on her site. Once I told her the measurements, she let me know that she had a used saddle that would work.
If I had ordered a new one, I might have gone with the sport- the pommel on the classic is a bit higher than I like.
Unfortunately, no idea on where the britches came from ) :
[QUOTE=The Crone of Cottonmouth County;7925207]
Which model did you end up with? I was kind of looking at those, too. How was your fitting experience?
http://www.stonewallsaddles.com/
But what I really want to know is, where did the chick in the photo get those bangin’ britches?[/QUOTE]
Stonewalls are a modern interpretation of the Cavalry’s McClellan saddle. Reading the website gave me quite few chuckles on claims of “originality.” I’m sure the shades of the General (and the good folks at Rock Island Arsenal) would have something to say about those claims!!
That said, if the the Stonewall folks have addressed some of the deficiencies of the Mac then it might be a very good choice.
Or you could check with folks like Border States Leatherworks and get a Mac made on a modern tree (that will fit modern horses).
G.
